Terrafugia’s Flying Car

Terrafugia has moved a step closer to making a flying car a reality, after successfully test-flying a street-legal aeroplane.

Massachusetts-based firm Terrafugia said their production prototype ‘Transition’ car-plane had successfully carried out an eight-minute test flight, clearing the way for it to hit the market within a year.

“With this flight, the team demonstrated an ability to accomplish what had been called an impossible dream,” founder Carl Dietrich said.

Terrafugia argues that the ‘Transition’ offers unparalleled freedom of movement, with a range of 787 kilometres. Spanning 2.3 metres, it fits into a normal-sized garage before unfurling an 8m wingspan.

To take advantage of the TRANSITION, would-be owners will need to have both a driver’s and pilot’s licence, with a minimum of 20 hours of flying time. The craft needs 762 metres of runway for take-off, meaning pulling onto the shoulder and escaping the traffic is not really an option. While many companies have tried to market an aerocar, none have succeeded in producing more than a handful of models. Read the rest of this entry »